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CHINA, 19 September 2022: The Chinese Zeekr automobile brand will be the first to use a new, extremely efficient battery when it goes on sale next year. However, it won’t be accessible immediately now in North America.
One of the top producers of EV batteries in the world, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), has revealed that its next-generation battery will go on sale early in the following year and has a range of 621 miles.
A Chinese brand called Zeekr, which is not yet sold in the United States, will have the battery installed in two of its models.
The Lucid Air and Tesla Model S are now leading the U.S. market in terms of battery range, with 520 miles and 405 miles, respectively. The 621-mile (1,000-kilometer) range is significantly greater.
Matt Degen, an editor and car reviewer for Kelley Blue Book said in a local report that “it’s too early to know how well the new CATL battery will work, but there’s no doubt that the EV ranges are increasing by leaps and bounds. He pointed to the announcement last month that Stellantis, parent company of Jeep and Chrysler, had purchased a plant in Massachusetts for manufacturing solid-state batteries, a technology that could lead to a big increase in range and a decrease in charging time.”
Last year, Geely Automobile Holdings of China launched the Zeekr brand. Volvo, Lotus, and other well-known automobile brands that are mostly sold in China, including Geely Auto, are all owned by Geely.
Prices for the Zeekr vehicles that will use the new battery have not been released, but the company’s current Zeekr 001, a small SUV, is now available for roughly USD 57,000. A new model, the 009 minivan, as well as an improved version of the 001 will both be sold with the new battery.
On August 27, CATL and Zeekr jointly declared that they would be utilising the new battery.
Robin Zeng, CATL’s founder and chairman, said in a statement that “We are dedicated to enabling automakers to build global high-end car brands with leading EV battery technologies and solutions, thus promoting global e-mobility transition.”
CATL, is based in China and is a major contributor to the global conversion to electric vehicles. Its competitors include LG of South Korea and Panasonic of Japan.
A close partnership with the Chinese government has aided CATL, which was founded in 2011 and has grown quickly alongside the Chinese EV sector. BMW, Tesla, and Volkswagen have all been its clients.
Although CATL doesn’t currently have a facility there, it has been attempting to establish one. According to Reuters, CATL has been looking at locations in South Carolina and Kentucky for a plant that would produce batteries for EVs made by Ford and BMW.
